So if you ignore the importance of music email blasts in your digital marketing mix, you do so at your own peril. Regular email remains a key marketing tool for connecting with fans, promoting your shows, and selling more tickets.

But it takes some effort and experimentation to get fans to open your emails and take action. Here are seven ways you can boost your email open rate and improve your fan connection.

1. Stick to a schedule

Send out your concert announcement emails at the same time every week. Much has been written about the best time to send a mass email— weekday mornings generally get the nod for business emails. But the truth is that it’s different for every industry, and perhaps every market.

You might find that your fans are most engaged when you send an email out right before their commute home, or that an early morning send will hook them as soon as they wake up. Use A/B testing to experiment with different send times and then stick to what works best for you.

2. Grow your list

Expanding your email list and keeping it updated is a never-ending effort. Fortunately, there are some simple ways to maintain a steady stream of sign-ups:

Regularly upload the attendee list from your ticketing partner into your email marketing platform. If you use Eventbrite, you can sync directly with email marketing platforms like MailChimp or Emma to automate this task.

Put an email sign-up box clearly on top of your website or in a popup. Promise registrants a reward for signing up, like early access to on-sales or a discount on tickets.

Let your social media followers know about your email updates, and ask them to sign up.

3. Segment your audience

In addition to a regular email newsletter that goes to your full list or a large portion of it, you should send smaller, more targeted emails. Send these show announcements just to fans of a certain genre, or people who attended certain past shows and might be interested in other shows like it.

This will make sure your emails address fans’ specific interests, which will lead to a better open rate and more conversions.

4. Keep it casual

Make sure your emails have a distinctive style or personality. Part of that means making sure your tone isn’t dry or boring — after all, this isn’t English Lit. It’s rock and roll. Don’t be afraid to use humor, direct “you” statements, and a casual, friendly voice.

5. Recap your shows

You can foster excitement and build brand loyalty by sending out recaps within a day or two after each show. Be sure to:

Thank fans for coming to the show

Include photos that link through to your Facebook image gallery or Instagram account so you can drive social engagement

Take the opportunity to remarket by listing a few upcoming shows in the same genre

6. Write better subject lines

Subject lines often make the difference between an opened or unopened email. If you include all caps, lots of exclamation marks, and certain trigger words, your subject line could send your email to the spam folder.

7. Use the preheader

The preheader is the first line of visible text after the subject when an email is viewed in an inbox. You can think of this as a second subject line — a way to get your most compelling content or call-to-action out before your fan even decides to open the email.

If your subject line highlights your main artist, use the preheader to promote supporting acts or create a sense of urgency around tickets selling out.